Partnerships for Disability: Fundación ONCE and the European Union, 15 years of collaboration beyond our borders.

Fundación ONCE has published the main results of an external evaluation of the Transnational Cooperation actions led by the organization with the co-funding of the European Social Fund. This publication, titled “Partnerships for Disability: Together towards a more inclusive Europe”, has been presented in Brussels last November 10th 2015 and it reflects different relevant actions carried out, such as the European Networks developed since 2009: the European Observatory for Structural Funds and Disability (InNet16), the European Network for Corporate Social Responsibility and Disability (CSR+D) and the European Network on Inclusive Education and Disability (incluD-ed).

On the basis of this evaluation that counted with the participation of multiple stakeholders through interviews and contrasts, the ONCE Foundation has been recognized and identified as a relevant actor, promoting disability issues in the European agendas; as a leading entity fostering and managing Transnational Cooperation initiatives co-funded by the European Social Fund; as well as a reference managing body of the Spanish Operational Programme “Fight against Discrimination 2007-2013” which is being implemented until December 2015.

European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, whose words are included in the publication foreword, and who has taken part in the presentation event in Brussels, has underlined that “the Transnational Cooperation actions carried out by Fundación ONCE have highlighted the value of engaging with relevant stakeholders across borders in the field of disability”, encouraging the Foundation to keep investing in these activities in the upcoming years.

On the other hand, Miguel Carballeda, President of ONCE and its Foundation, whose words are also included in the foreword, has pointed out that “the firm conviction that we may get there quicker by going alone, but much further if we go together, is what took us to establish these partnerships within the framework of the so-called Transnational Cooperation, as a result of which we have contributed to mainstreaming disability dimension in the European agendas, and to the consideration of the talent of people with disabilities as an asset that cannot and should not be wasted”.